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New Guide Highlights Prime Birding and Wildlife Opportunities throughout Bucks County and across Eas

Monday, June 15, 2009 6:18 PM

New Guide Highlights Prime Birding and Wildlife Opportunities throughout Bucks County and across Eastern Pennsylvania

(Bucks County, PA) “Eastern Pennsylvania is a birding paradise.” So begins the introduction to the new Eastern Pennsylvania Birding and Wildlife Guide—an introduction written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul. The easy-to-use 130-page spiral-bound book presents readers with a road map on where, when and how to explore that paradise in a 13 county area of Eastern PA. Bucks County features its own chapter with 10 top birding and wildlife locations.
The guide offers a breakdown of various sites such as parks, state game lands and wildlife sanctuaries in each county. Site descriptions include information about which species of birds and other wildlife may be seen in every season, accompanied by beautiful, full-color photographs and illustrations. Information on parking, restrooms and historical background when pertinent, is also included. Special vignette pages take a more in depth look at special sites and birding opportunities throughout the region.

Bucks County locations include:* Churchville Nature Center- Home to the state threatened Red Bellied Turtle, offers a wildlife garden, bird feeding station and accessible boardwalk trails.* Core Creek County Park- Winter season is a popular time for sparrows and a variety of gull species* Five Mile Woods- Look for migrating warblers, vireos, Great Horned owls, American Woodcock and Flycatchers!* Nockamixon State Park- Traditionally known for hosting rare birds including the Pacific Loon, Long-tailed Jaeger and American Oystercatcher* Peace Valley County Park- Boasts the 365 acre Lake Galena surrounded by prime birding habitats, nearly all reachable by 14 miles of trails
* Silver Lake Nature Center- Contains the best-protected Coastal Plain woodland remaining in the state! Also, a beautiful Butterfly Garden is maintained here.* Tinicum County Park/Giving Pond Recreation Area- In the fall, look for waterfowl and a wide range of warblers
* Tyler State Park- This is the best area in lower Bucks for declining grassland species such as Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. There are also miles and miles of paved bike trails, gravel hiking trails and bridle trails. * Quakertown Swamp- More than 74 bird species nest in this swamp. There is a large Great Blue Heron rookery here as well- best time to view is in March/April. This swamp is one of only seven wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic Region to be identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.* Bowman’s Hill Section of Washington Crossing Historic Park- The visitor’s center at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve boasts Platt bird eggs and nests and in the Spring it is considered the best site in Bucks County to see migrating warblers.

“This guide seeks to connect eastern Pennsylvania residents with their parks and open spaces to watch birds and other wildlife and to enjoy the outdoors. It is also intended as a guide to natural areas for visitors to the region.” Said project coordinator Dan Kunkle of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and the D&L Corridor. “It is very easy to use and leads it users to the natural treasures of the region.”
“Mile for mile, the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers may be the most important waterways in the history of American bird study,” asserts Weidensaul, the author of more than two dozen natural history books.
The book, funded in part through a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant, is being made available to visitors at no cost at each of those sites, as well as at a number of others in the region. It was created through a partnership of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA), Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L), the National Parks Service and Lehigh Gap Nature Center.
“With our open farms and wooded landscape, Bucks County stages as a great location for a wide range of habitats for birds.” States Jerry Lepping, Executive Director of Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau, “The natural beauty of our County serves as a great playground to all walks of life.”
Guides are available free of charge at selected parks, nature centers and birding sites while supplies last. They can also be ordered from the SRHA and the D&L at a cost of $10 to cover shipping and handling. For a list of locations where the guide can be obtained visit the SRHA Web site at www.schuylkillriver.org, or the D&L Web site at www.delawareandlehigh.org

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is a joint effort of private groups and interested citizens, county and municipal governments, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government to conserve cultural and natural resources in the five-county region of Pennsylvania that traverses the historic Delaware and Lehigh Canals.

The mission of the Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau, Inc. is to increase visitation to Bucks County, Pennsylvania by effectively marketing its heritage, accommodations and attractions. For more information call (215) 639-0300, visit www.VisitBucksCounty.com or stop by the Bucks County Visitor Center located at 3207 Street Road in Bensalem (adjacent to the entrance to Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack). The Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. It is easily accessible from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 1 and Interstate 95.